Did Trump Really Offer Tiger Woods a Pardon After His DUI Arrest?

Another day on the internet, another fake presidential statement about a sports star. Here is what actually happened with Tiger Woods, the viral Trump post, and the crash that kicked this all off.

The viral post everyone saw (and why it was bogus)

On Friday, March 27, a screenshot started rocketing around social media that looked like a Truth Social statement from President Donald Trump demanding Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pardon Tiger Woods so he could play the Masters. The supposed statement called Woods a "Great Golfer and even Greater American," labeled the incident a "minor fender bender" and a "misunderstanding," and ended with a rallying cry to "Make Golf Great Again!" One X post sharing that screenshot pulled in over two million views with a simple caption: "Amazing."

It was fake. Trump never posted that statement on Truth Social. The screenshot was manufactured, full stop.

What Trump actually said about Tiger

Trump did speak about Woods later on Friday when reporters asked him about the situation. He sounded more concerned friend than political showman:

"I feel so bad. He’s got some difficulty. There was an accident, and that’s all I know. A very close friend of mine, he’s an amazing person, an amazing man. But some difficulty. I don’t want to talk about it."

What police say happened

Woods, 50, was involved in a rollover crash on Jupiter Island, Florida, on Friday afternoon and was arrested. Here is the straightforward version without the social media megaphone:

• Vehicle: A black Land Rover driven by Woods.
• Crash details: According to Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek, Woods clipped the back of a pickup truck that was towing a small trailer. That contact caused Woods' SUV to flip over.
• Injuries: None reported.
• Charges: DUI, property damage, and refusal to submit to a lawful test.
• Testing: Woods refused a urinalysis at the scene, which is where the "refusal" charge comes in. He did blow a breathalyzer, which came back triple zeros — so, no alcohol detected.
• Jail time: He was held at Martin County Jail for roughly eight hours, as required under Florida statute, and released around 11 p.m. ET Friday.

So, DUI with 0.000 on the breathalyzer?

I know, that sounds contradictory at first pass. Breathalyzers only measure alcohol. The refusal to take a urinalysis is a separate legal issue, and the DUI charge does not have to be alcohol-specific. That is the lane this appears to be in based on what authorities laid out.

The Trump–Tiger history (and why people ran with the fake)

Trump and Woods go back a while. They have played golf together, Trump awarded Woods the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019, and the two were seen arriving together for a White House reception honoring Black History Month on February 20, 2025. Given that backdrop, a loud, over-the-top defense of Woods might have felt plausible to a lot of people skimming their feeds — which is probably why the phony post took off so fast.

About that personal-life tidbit making the rounds

Some coverage also tossed in a curveball: that Woods is currently dating Vanessa Trump, Donald Trump Jr.'s ex-wife. Consider that an unverified claim attached to all this. It is out there, but it is not part of the official incident record above.

The bottom line

Tiger Woods was arrested after a rollover crash in Florida. No one was hurt. He faces charges including DUI and refusal to submit to a lawful test, despite a 0.000 breathalyzer. A viral "pardon Tiger for the Masters" post attributed to Trump was fake; the real Trump comments were measured and sympathetic. Everything else is noise until the case moves forward and more facts land on the record.